The other of the Aussies tackling the testing circuit on a Superbike was Port Macquarie's Dean Thomas on the 'Phones4U/Dienza' Ducati. His appraisal of the track was simple. "Sure… it's a lot of fun but it's a little dangerous as well".

With a stone wall to contend with along with limited run-off in areas and blind apex corners, riders also have to contend with the "leap" over the mountain, where bikes regularly reach heights of a foot before powering towards Halls Bends and back into the technical forest section.

Paul Young talking to me about bike set-up, " We set the bike up completely differently here to anywhere else we go. You need to wash off a lot of speed in to the corners here and have the geometry right."  Later he revealed that like no other track, the chain tension is of paramount importance due to the nature of the mountain acrobatics.

With three Aussie combatants duelling it out in the Superbike class, one could be excused for thinking that the British series is a home away from home. Another trying to make a name for himself in the cutthroat environment of UK racing is Taree's Damian Cudlin, riding for Tech 2 racing of Yorkshire. Unfortunately Jason Boyle and the 'Europcar/JB Racing' team had to pull out of the Cadwell round but will be back and eager to impress again at this coming weekend's Oulton park fixture.

QUALIFYING

Inclement weather settled in for qualifying which meant that the top 16 would be settled during SuperPole.  After the timed sessions on Sunday, Dean Thomas, New Zealand's Simon Crafar (virgin/Aiwa Yamaha) and the 'Hawk/Toshiba' Kawasaki of Glen Richards all made the important cut.

A change of suspension from the #1 bike to trusty #2 was what Thomas needed to record the sixth fastest time and be in a prime position to take full advantage come Superpole.

Glen Richards was not as successful. A fall upon landing the mountain jump in the first session and a technical problem in the second meant that ninth was the best he could do. "The #1 bike was still smashed from the opening session and we had problem with the other one. But we got it going and in the second session, I managed to do 18 laps on a race tyre and am confident of a better result,” said Richards.

Paul Young's Grafters Recruitment Suzuki was again the only non-Dunlop runner in the field, his tyres were again proving troublesome. Just when a top 16 position was within his grasp, he was thwarted by outgoing champion John Reynolds and ended the session 17th.
"JR got in my way on his out lap while I was on a qualifying tyre" mused an annoyed Young. "It felt like a very quick lap too,” he added.

After two sessions and a single lap decider, it was Monster Mob’s series leader Steve Hislop who topped the sheet. Thomas slipped one spot to seventh but remained on the second row.  Glen Richards performed well enough to put the slower 750 into ninth.  The flying Kiwi, Simon Crafar, split them both and rounded out the second row in eighth.

In the Supersport ranks, it was all down to Cudlin due to the unfortunate lack of Jason Boyle’s R6 Yamaha, early showings were promising. Ninth position after the first of two sessions had allowed Damian the chance to shine on a bike meant for Junior SuperStock, this meant he lacked about 8hp on his rivals.  Alas, a gearbox fault in the second saw the likeable teenager moved further down the grid and with a lot of work to do come Monday.

The balls up of the season was to follow: to the horror of the team, Damian's bike had not been through scrutineering, as a result it was deemed ineligible to race.  At least I was not alone on the fences during race day, but I can assure you, that with people to impress and without a bike to race, Mr. Cudlin was less than jovial company.  "The weekend has been a disaster since we got here. The bike had a hole in the rev range, and then it had a gearbox problem. The team tried to persuade the organisers to let me race from the rear of the grid today, but I wasn’t allowed. I’m obviously very disappointed". * (Last 4 words altered to protect the frail)

SUPERBIKE RACE 1

Officials claim that 60 thousand spectators flock to the Cadwell event every year, but with dodgy skies and arctic winds the number may have faded to 40 this time around. The awesome turnout was ready to witness multiple TT winner Steve Hislop extend his lead over suitor Sean Emmett, on another of the improving Virgin Yamahas. Local boy Steve Plater was also receiving the plaudits of the crowd on his warm up lap,  hoping to benefit from his first front row start of the season.

Dean Thomas was sporting a physical ailment as a direct result of changing his Ducati’s handling characteristics. "We've eliminated the chatter but now it's hard to steer".   By all accounts the ex World Supersport star was employing the use of Deep Heat on his aching arm in an attempt to combat the problem.

With race one underway it became evident early on that Hislop meant business. Within three laps he had passed the hard charging Byrne (Renegade Ducati) and went on to extend his lead.

A coming together between Dean Thomas and Glen Richards during the opening lap saw the former land heavily.

Later it was revealed that muscle damage had been the only injury, however aggravating an old shoulder injury may prove costly with a round this weekend. Richards was characteristically sporting post race, and apologised for what did seem like a rash but albeit racing incident.

Glen went on to finish the first race behind Crafar in seventh, the ever-smooth Young came home thirteenth. Hislop managed to hold off the advances of both Michael Rutter and Shakey Byrne on the Renegade machines and extended his championship buffer over Emmett, who finished 5th behind the Rizla Suzuki of Reynolds.

SUPERBIKE RACE 2

Hislop again stamped his authority on the day with a dominant display.  The race was contested in two parts due to rain interruptions. This time he had Lincoln boy, Plater (Virgin/Aiwa Yamaha), to contest with before his challenge faded and the chasing role was accepted again by Rutter.

With Thomas out, Richards, Young and Kiwi Crafar were left to upset the locals.  But by the end it was only Young who remained, both Richards and Crafar came to grief midway through proceedings.

Glen had been recording impressive times on the smaller Kawasaki before coming adrift.

Whilst Hislop took the win, recording four lap records in succession on the factory Ducati, it was Youngy and his privateer GSX-R that again impressed, a fantastic 11th place. A result I'm certain the Grafters/Pirelli team will celebrate over the coming days between Cadwell and this weekend's Oulton Park, where more picturesque and technical racing awaits.

With any luck, both Jason Boyle and Damian Cudlin can provide us with an Aussie presence in the Supersport class at Oulton.  While Young, Richards, and hopefully the recovering Thomas, will, as always, be in the thick of the Superbike action.

Kempy 67.